A Christmas Message: The Pathos of Advent

In Him was life, and the life was the Light of mankind (John 1:4).

The Incarnation of the eternal Son is situated within human experience. In other words, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14) means that God experienced the fulness of human experience, and humans might experience the fulness of God. Pathos is an expression of emotion, or passion. So, to speak of the pathos of Advent is to reflect on how the coming of Christ moves us towards faith in God. The pathos of Advent is illustrated in the candles of the Advent wreath. As we moved towards the celebration of Christmas, we light a candle and reflect.

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Augustine’s Handbook on Faith, Hope, and Love (The Enchiridion)

Augustine’s Handbook was written to be a “suitable foundation” for Christian faith” (4) and presents his doctrine in terms of the Christian journey in which revelation is received through the graces of faith, hope, and love. Each of these graces are integrated, but hope and love flow from faith (7). Augustine insists that this is more than an intellectual endeavor – one’s “heart [must] be set on fire with great zeal” (6). The singular purpose of the three graces is to inform “how God is to be worshiped” (2).

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